In motor vehicle interiors, a multitude of structural components of metal are known, as well as components made from injection-moulded materials. In order, on the one hand, to save weight and, on the other hand, nonetheless to achieve the necessary strength, “hybrid components” comprising a plastics body and interlockingly integrated metallic reinforcing elements are used as lightweight components.
Hybrid components of injection-moulded plastics materials are moreover also known in which blanks of “organo sheet” are embedded as reinforcements at heavily stressed locations. Organo sheet here denotes a textile fabric enclosed in a thermoplastic. The fabric may in particular be a woven fabric, laid fabric or nonwoven fabric of natural, carbon, glass or mineral fibres. If a thermoplastic is used for the encapsulation of the organo sheet by injection moulding which is materially identical or similar to the matrix of the organo sheet, it is possible during injection moulding to achieve a bonded connection between the organo sheet and the surrounding plastics material. The use of hybrid components often results in a weight saving relative to a purely metal component.
A bonded connection is understood to mean a connection in which the connected components are held together by atomic or molecular forces. This results in a non-detachable connection, which can only be undone by destroying the connection.
Some components or functional elements in motor vehicle interiors have to be made at least partially from a metallic material due to where they are used, their function and the loads arising at the component, or a metallic reinforcement is needed. In the case of a component made from an organo sheet which must be reinforced by a metallic component or which must be joined to a metallic component, a reliable connection must be produced, which must in particular also absorb/transfer relatively high forces in the region of the join.
An example which may be mentioned of such a join/connection in the region of the motor vehicle seat is the back-rest adjuster, which is made from a metallic material due to the forces arising and to be absorbed or due to the construction of the adjuster and the resultant connection technology. The back-rest adjuster may then be joined to a frame of the seat structure consisting of an organo sheet. Such a hybrid connection is conventionally produced in that a metallic reinforcing element is placed onto an organo sheet and the connection is imparted by encapsulating said element in a thermoplastic.
A method is known from German Patent Publication No. DE 10 2012 218 711 A1 for producing a multilayer moulding of hybrid structure from at least one organo sheet and one metal sheet connected therewith in a load-resistant manner. In this case, the metal and organo sheets are inserted into a forming tool in a non-deformed and unconnected state and are formed therein in the heated state, wherein the metal and organo sheets are connected together over the surfaces thereof.
Furthermore, German Patent Publication No. DE 10 2009 016 177 A1 discloses a composite component for motor vehicle internal trim elements and a method for the production thereof. To produce the composite component, a decorative layer and a fibre-reinforced plastics plate are inserted into an injection mould. After the process of joining the decorative layer and the fibre-reinforced plastics plate to produce a semi-finished product-like two-layer part, in a subsequent step a plastics material is injected into a cavity between fibre-reinforced plastics plate and associated mould half to mould on a functional layer. In this case, partial melting of the organo sheet is brought about, as well as through-flow through the organo sheet in the region of through-holes.
German Patent Publication No. DE 10 2013 213 711 A1 discloses a method for producing a structural component for motor vehicles by hot forming of an organo sheet. To reinforce regions of the structural component produced from organo sheet, additional receiving points are provided in the organo sheet which are injection-moulded closed with thermoplastic material after hot forming of the organo sheet.
FIG. 1 illustrates a sectional representation of a prior art hybrid composite component V1 of organo sheets 2a, 2b and a metallic reinforcing element 3. Two plate-shaped first and second organo sheets 2a, 2b are arranged on top of one another, having been bonded together in a preceding method step.
A metallic reinforcing element 3 rests on a surface region O of the first organo sheet 2b. The metallic reinforcing element 3 comprises first and second end regions 4, into which through-holes 5 have been introduced. The end regions 4 resting on the surface region of the first organo sheet are encapsulated in a plastics material 6 by injection moulding. This results in a bonded connection between plastics material 6 and the connected organo sheets 2a, 2b, and an interlocking connection between metallic reinforcing element 3, the organo sheets 2a, 2b and the plastics material 6. The interlocking connection between end regions 4 of the metallic reinforcing element 3 and the plastics material 6 is additionally improved by through-holes 5 introduced into the end regions 4 of the metallic reinforcing element 3.
The through-holes 5 are filled with the plastics material during the method step of encapsulation by injection moulding. This results, in the region of the through-holes 5, in additional anchoring/a bonded connection between plastics material 6 and the connected organo sheets 2a, 2b at the surface region O of the first organo sheet 2b facing the through-holes.